Matt Maxey interpreted the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show collaboration between Kendrick Lamar and SZA. In order to find the tape, Deaf and HOH (Hard of Hearing) individuals had to track down the link to the stream and open it on a separate device. Not everyone has access to another device while watching the Super Bowl. This is, if you can even manage to track down the link. Many were only able to find tapings of the halftime show on YouTube after it had ended. 

On top of this, the ASL interpreter for the Star-Spangled Banner is only seen for a short amount of time during the performance. This raises the question, why not just do a split screen with the vocal talent on one side and the ASL performer on the other? It wouldn’t be too far-fetched, seeing as the Super Bowl has done split screening, as well as intricate advertisements displayed across the screen, and recaps plenty of times before. Doing a split screen during the performance would create easier accessibility for those who rely on ASL.

The Super Bowl has been partnering with the National Association of the Deaf since 2010 to choose performers who are deaf or hard of hearing to perform ASL during the halftime show. 1912 was the first year the Super Bowl’s national anthem featured an ASL interpreter. Science then, nearly half of the performers were not even televised. If split screen is such a simple process, why hasn’t it been put into action over the years.

According to Axios, most ASL National anthem performers only appeared on screen for 8% or less of the performance. With more than 40 million people having issues hearing in the United States, the publication of ASL on broadcasted television could be incredibly beneficial to a large portion of society. If access to ASL translations were more normalized, more people would be able to enjoy and appreciate the artistic performances of the Super Bowl.